Cellulose synthase (CesA) is a central catalyst in the generation of the plant cell wall biomass and is, therefore, the focus of intense research. Characterization of individual CesA genes from Populus species has led to the publication of several different naming conventions for CesA gene family members in this model tree. To help reduce the resulting confusion, we propose here a new phylogeny-based CesA nomenclature that aligns the Populus CesA gene family with the established Arabidopsis thaliana CesA family structure.